Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Nov 30Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity Newsletter: December 2023My book saved someone’s life I put a year of work into my book, which I chalked up as a “labor of love” — something that was a noble effort, if ultimately unacknowledged. All of that changed yesterday. I will never meet this person. But my heart was torn when I read this review on Amazon…Writing6 min readWriting6 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Nov 2757 Writing Contests in December 2023 — No entry feesThis December there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $40,000 to publication. None charge entry fees. Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully. If you want to get a…Writing12 min readWriting12 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Nov 224 Distinctive Writing Conferences and Workshops in December 2023Because of the holidays, writing conferences are sparse in December. That doesn’t mean there are none worth attending. For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.) The…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Nov 167 New Agents Actively Seeking Horror, Thrillers, Westerns, Military, Speculative Fiction, Nonfiction, Kidlit and moreHere are seven new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres. Always…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Oct 31Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity Newsletter: November 2023Boo-tiful Literary Pumpkins Happy Halloween! Here are my favorite literary pumpkins. Read more here>> 75 Calls for Submissions in November 2023 — Paying marketsWriting5 min readWriting5 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Oct 3075 Calls for Submissions in November 2023 — Paying marketsThis November there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays. I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of…Writing11 min readWriting11 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Oct 2647 Writing Contests in November 2023 — No entry feesThis November there are nearly four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees. Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully. If you want to get a jump…Writing9 min readWriting9 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Oct 2416 Notable Writing Workshops and Conferences in November 2023This November there are more than a dozen writing conferences. Many conferences and workshops will be held online, but some will be held in person or use a hybrid format. These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Oct 1011 New Agents Seeking Kidlit, Women’s Fiction, Memoir, Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels and moreHere are eleven new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres. Always…Writing10 min readWriting10 min read
Published inCuriosity Never Killed the Writer·Sep 29Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity Newsletter: October 2023When Can a Publisher Terminate Your Contract? The answer is: It depends on what is in the contract. All publishing contracts contain a clause that specifies the circumstances under which a contract may be terminated by the publisher. These may include Acts of God (a hurricane wipes out your publisher’s headquarters), buy-outs (a larger company purchases your…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
